About Us

The Ethical Culture Society of Silicon Valley is one of the newest growing communities affiliated with the American Ethical Union. We began meeting in 2006 and usually have programs three to four times per month. We join together on the third Sunday of the month for public discussions of ethical concerns. Near the first Sunday of the month we hold a study session where we explore ethical issues in-depth. On various evenings, we meet to discuss books, watch thought-provoking videos, and engage in dialogue about ethical dilemmas. On the first and third Fridays we have late-morning ethics discussions ethics at a local restaurant. On an irregular schedule, we hold Saturday Suppers where we cook together and have informal conversation.  We celebrate the seasons with festivals and informal gatherings.

Please join us at one of our upcoming programs!

Here is a link to our current bylaws in .pdf form.

 

Ethical Culture affirms the equal worth and right to dignity of every person. We cherish individual differences, cultural diversity, and the democratic process. We seek to bring out the potential of each of us to make our homes, workplaces, and communities kinder, fairer, and more joyful.

Ethical Culture is a humanistic religion. Our sources of ethical knowledge and inspiration include:

  • the life story of each individual
  • the collective wisdom and experience of communities past and present,
  • science and empirical research,
  • art and literature,
  • the experience and study of nature.

The Ethical Culture movement has exerted a great influence on American social justice:

  •  Started  the first free kindergarten in the United States (now the Ethical Culture and Fieldston Schools of New York City)  
  •  Established the earliest American Settlement House.
  •  Founded the Visiting Nurses Association and the Child Study Association
  •  Helped found and develop the Legal Aid Society, the NAACP, the ACLU, and many other organizations.

Founded in 1876 by Felix Adler, Ethical Culture Societies and Fellowships are united in a national federation known as the American Ethical Union, whose headquarters are in New York City.  As members of the International Humanist and Ethical Union we are offered an opportunity to meet and learn from many who share our commitment around the world.

For more information on Ethical Culture and other Ethical Societies, visit www.aeu.org

To join an email distribution list to be informed of future events you can sign up at these ECSSV groups:

  • EthicalCSSV on Yahoo
  • Ethical Culture Society of Silicon Valley on Meetup

The Larger Movement and our Affiliates

 

The American Ethical Union is Committed to Building a More Caring World

The core belief for Ethical Humanism is that each person is unique, worthy, and irreplaceable.  Our core aspiration is to live in such a way as to create and maintain a society where worth is realized and cherished and where caring and fairness prevail.  That core belief and core aspiration are continually challenged by the reality that it is all too easy to treat people as expendable, to fail to perceive the worth and beauty in others, to be driven to act not by love but by hate and fear.

Let us stand up for our core beliefs and core aspirations, redouble our commitment to engage with the world around us, work to elicit the best of one another, and push back hard against the inhumanity that threatens to destroy our hope for a more caring and peaceable world.  The road to peace and justice is long and strenuous.  Let us demonstrate that we are ready and able to face the challenges of making that road a reality.